


Brooklyn Raises 'Em Tough

by WinterRose47



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Gen, Kid Steve Rogers, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-06-08 21:56:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6875179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterRose47/pseuds/WinterRose47
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky Barnes is just trying to regain some of his lost memories. However, it's a bit difficult when the person you're trying to remember is currently three years old and is relying on you to survive in modern-day New York. Thanks a lot, Loki.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. What in the World?

The sun was just beginning to sink below the horizon when Bucky Barnes, formerly known as the Winter Soldier, started to make his way back to the place he was calling home. He had rented- yes, rented- a room in a run-down hotel in Brooklyn, New York.

 

Bucky had traveled to Brooklyn about a week earlier, in the hopes of jarring loose more of his memories. From what he could gather, he grew up there, as did Steven Grant Rogers- his former mission/friend. 

 

The hotel he was staying at was a fairly secure location. His room had good sight lines and there were few other people in the building, so it was easy to slip in and out undetected. Not to mention, the older lady that worked the front desk paid very little attention to who was checking in or out; he was certain that she wouldn’t rat him out should someone come looking for him.

 

He had been watching the news that afternoon when an urgent alert bulletin appeared. Apparently, some ‘alien prince from another world’ had been spotted in Brooklyn, about 10 miles from his current location and was wreaking havoc. The Avengers had been called to detain him before he destroyed anything. And that wasn’t all; according to the news anchor, the dude could do magic. Not your typical disappearing coin tricks, but real, actual magic.

 

‘Great, just great,’ Bucky had mumbled to himself.

 

Against his better judgment, he had went to scope out the area where the being- Loki, the news lady called him- had been spotted. The Avengers had already arrived on scene by the time he got there. Steve was flinging his shield at what appeared to be duplicates of the enemy, while the man with long blonde hair threw his hammer viciously. The red-haired lady- Natalia, his brain supplied- was attempting to evacuate civilians from the area, and the man in the flashy gold and red suit was flying overhead. Bucky stuck around long enough to ensure that they had the situation under control, then began to aimlessly wander the streets. 

 

He strolled around the city with no particular destination in mind, grabbing a coffee from Starbucks and giving a few dollars to a homeless person on the street. 

 

He swung by the now empty battlefield on his way back to make sure the threat had been neutralized. Being ambushed by a magical prince would definitely not be a good way to end his day. A quick glance found no hostiles, and he continued on towards his hotel.

 

Or rather, he tried.

 

A strange noise from a nearby alley drew his attention. With his advanced hearing, it sounded like someone crying. 

 

Curiosity piqued, he peered down the dingy alley. When no threat appeared, he began to search for the source of the noise. He rounded a dumpster, and stopped in his tracks. There was a small tow-headed boy, no older than three, sitting on the ground and sobbing into his hands. The poor guy was skinnier than a normal child his age, and was wearing what looked to be a dark blue, long-sleeved shirt that came down to his ankles.

 

Bucky’s first instinct was to run; the Winter Soldier and kids didn’t get along very well, after all. However, he couldn’t find it in him to leave the little guy all alone. 

 

“Hey Buddy,” he called softly, crouching down in front of the kid. “What’s the matter?” 

 

The kid startled at his voice, his blue eyes widening in fear.

 

“It’s okay, Bud,” Bucky reassured him. “I just want to know what’s wrong. You’re not hurt, are ya?” 

 

It seemed to be the right thing to say, because the boy’s expression softened and he looked down at his lap for a long moment.

 

“I can’t find Ma,” came the quiet answer. “I.... I was drawing in my room, and I fell asleep and…. I woke up over there”- he pointed towards the end of the alley- “and I don’t know where I am and I tried to find Ma but….. I can’t,” he manages to get out, in between sobs. 

 

And that does it. Bucky’s in too deep. The Winter Soldier may not care about kids, but Bucky Barnes is sure not going to let some poor little kid wander around Brooklyn all by himself. 

 

“Hey, hey Buddy. It’s alright. Can you tell me your Ma’s name? Maybe I can help you find her,” he offers. 

 

“Sarah Rogers,” and oh, if that doesn’t bring back memories. ‘Wait a minute,’ Bucky thinks to himself. ‘I wonder…’ 

 

“And what’s your name, kid?” he asks, hoping that the answer he gets is not the one he’s expecting. The kid’s mother is named Sarah Rogers, he has blond hair and blue eyes, Bucky can hear him wheezing the slightest bit as he breathes, and now that he’s up close, the boy’s shirt looks almost like the top of Steve’s stealth suit. The facts all add up to one answer, but it just can’t be. It’s not possible...

“Steven Grant Rogers.” Well shoot, it is.


	2. Backstory Time!!!

“Stark, what’s the situation?”

“Well, Capitano, it looks like he’s going for the Stuttgart approach. You’re typical ‘trap innocent civilians into listening to your dramatic speech’ scheme. Oh, and there’s four of him. Great, more crazy.”

Why the guy chose a random plaza in Brooklyn to ‘assert his dominance’ or whatever he was doing, the world may never know.

In the Avengers defense, the call to take down Loki was supposed to be a fairly simple one. All they had to do was wear him down enough so that they could detain him and get Thor to escort him on a one-way trip to the Asgardian dungeon. Again. They had already beaten him once before, and this time he didn’t have an army to back him up. How hard could it be?

“Alright guys. Stark, create a distraction so Widow can get the civilians out of here. Thor and I will engage Loki or, well, the Lokis. Try to get rid of the duplicates, and whatever you do, don’t let them catch you by surprise. Loki may not have his scepter, but he’s still powerful.”

The battle went surprisingly well. In fact, it was almost too easy. All the civilians had been cleared out of the area, and together the team dispersed the duplicates quickly, leaving the real Loki slightly worried in the center of the plaza. 

“Surrender Loki. It’s over.”

Well, they thought it was over. All that was left was to detain Loki, and surely he knew that there was no way he could win this fight. Even with his magical capabilities, four against one were not favorable odds. Not to mention, the fight had left him considerably weakened. Surrendering would be his smartest option at this point.

However, Loki was not going to back down without a fight. As the Avengers closed in, he raised his hand and a beam of light rocketed towards the Captain. 

“Cap, look out!”

“Watch out, Captain!” 

“Rogers, get down!”

The beam hit him in the chest before he could even think about moving. The force of it sent him flying towards an alleyway across the plaza. He hit the side of a building with a thud, falling limply to the ground. A blue glow surrounded him, and he could hear his teammates frantic voices through his comm as his vision faded to black.

“Steve!!!!”

While the others were distracted, Loki disappeared in a cloud of smoke. It took a few long moments for the smoke to clear, but when it did there was not a trace of the super-soldier. All that was left was his shield, lying on the ground where he had been struck. 

*********

“JARVIS isn’t picking up any signs of Cap. Surely someone as big as he is would stand out, don’t you think? JARVIS, search again.” 

“We’ll find him Stark, but first we need to report to SHIELD,” Natasha pointed out. At this point, they were all overdue for a debriefing. 

“And how are we going to do that? We don’t even know what Loki hit him with! I say we keep at it until we find him.” 

“Stark, it’s useless. If JARVIS can’t find him, then something is very wrong. Continuing the search is a waste of our time if we don’t know what we’re up against. SHIELD can help us figure that out.”

“Friend Stark, the Lady Spider is right. I will return to Asgard and inquire of the nature of the attack on the Captain. Perhaps Mother will know what type of trickery it was.” Thor stepped back, pointed his hammer at the sky, and was gone in a flash of light. 

“We will find him.” Tony couldn’t tell if Natasha was trying to reassure him or convince herself.


	3. Welcome to the Future

“Do you think you can help me find my Ma?” Steve asked. He was giving Bucky his patented ‘puppy-dog eyes’ that could bring a grown man to his knees. Bucky would know, he’d been on the receiving end of that look many times from an older Steve.

‘How in the world am I gonna explain this’, Bucky thought. Telling a kid they were in the future was one thing, but telling him that his Ma was dead was bound to cause a meltdown. With Steve’s asthma, that wouldn’t be pretty. ‘We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,’ he decided. 

“Stevie”, he started, moving to sit on the ground. He had a feeling this would take awhile. “Did your Ma ever tell you stories about time travelers? Guys that went to the future and got to see amazing things?” 

“Sometimes.”

“Well, what if I told you that you were one of them?” 

“I’d tell you that I don’t believe you.” 

“I know it sounds crazy, kid, but you gotta believe me. This isn’t 1921. It’s 2016.” 

“You’re lying! People can’t go to the future, that’s impossible! Ma told me so!” Bucky could see tears starting to form in little Steve’s eyes; he knew he had to defuse this quick. 

“I promise I’m not lying to you Stevie. I can prove it to ya. Wanna see?” At Steve’s suspicious nod, he slowly pulled his gloves off; right hand first, then his left. He pulled the left sleeve of his jacket up to his elbow. The exposed metal shone brightly with the light of the setting son. 

“Woah!” Steve exclaimed. “Is that your arm? That’s so cool!” A little hand reached out and took ahold of his, turning it this way and that. Bucky tensed at first, but relaxed at the awed expression on Steve’s face. ‘He’s not scared of it,’ he absently thought to himself. He let the kid run his fingers along the grooves of his metal knuckles for a few more seconds before he gently pulled his hand away. 

“Do you believe me now?” Bucky asked. Steve offered another tiny nod, still staring at his metal hand. 

“Steve,” Bucky started, “would you like to come with me? It’s going to get dark soon, and you don’t need to be out here at night. You don’t wanna get sick, do ya?” 

“No!” Steve exclaimed, “I don’t like being sick. It’s the worst.” Steve hesitated for a moment. “But Ma told me not to go anywhere with strangers.”

Ah, the good old ‘stranger danger’ rule. Sarah Rogers had taught him right. However, Bucky couldn’t leave Steve here alone, and there was no one else for him to take him too. The other Avengers were likely back at their tower by now, not that they’d believe him if he told them that their Captain was currently a toddler. No, Bucky was on his own for this one. He needed Steve to trust him. 

“Well let me fix that,” Bucky replied. He stuck out his right hand, “My name’s Bucky Barnes. It’s nice to meet you.” 

Steve stared at the hand for a minute before gripping it with his own. “Steve Rogers.”

Steve then started giggling. “Your name’s funny.” 

Bucky couldn’t help but laugh a little. “It’s better than Buchanan,” he said, the corner of his mouth turning up in a smirk.

“Yeah,” Steve agreed. His smile dropped for a moment as he appeared to think something over.

“Okay Bucky, I’ll come with you,” he said with all the seriousness a three year-old can manage. The effect was ruined when he laughed again and turned to Bucky with a bright smile.

“Okay then.” Bucky returned the smile as he climbed to his feet. As soon as he was upright, Steve held his arms up in the universal ‘pick me up’ sign. Smirking to himself, he picked the boy up and propped him on his hip. Steve wrapped his little arms around Bucky’s shoulders as much as he could, and they were off.


	4. Goodnight, Sleep Tight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics: flashbacks

Getting back to his hotel room had taken longer than Bucky had expected. First things first, he had to get Steve something to wear. His Captain America uniform top was too conspicuous and at this point fit more like a dress on him. Not to mention, none of his own clothes would come anywhere close to fitting the tiny Captain.

He was still thinking over how to fix that problem when he spotted a donation box on a deserted corner. Bucky walked over, looking to make sure no one was watching, and opened the door.

"Mr. Bucky, what are you doing?" Wow, Steve had already perfected his 'I'm disappointed in you' face.

"Just Bucky, kid. And I'm getting you some clothes. You don't wanna run around in that gigantic shirt forever, do ya?"

Steve shook his head, glare never diminishing in the slightest. Bucky stuck his tongue out at him and started sorting through the clothes. A tiny giggle sounded in his ear, making him smile to himself. He grabbed a couple of shirts and a pair of pants that didn't look too worn out. A pair of tiny black converse were also added to the pile. Hopefully they would fit. If not, he had some spare newspapers around. Wait, why was he thinking of newspapers?

" _Steve, what is that in your shoe?" "Nothing…." "Newspapers, really?"_ Oh.

"You saw nothing, okay punk?" Bucky winked as he shut the door, walking off with the clothes tucked under one arm and Steve in the other. He laughed as a tiny fist bopped him on the shoulder.

* * *

By the time Tony and Natasha entered Stark Tower, both were exhausted. And not just physically. Their debrief had turned into complete chaos at the announcement of Cap's disappearance. People started shouting questions and orders while the junior agents began to panic. Fury's one-eyed glare could have cut through steel. It was a madhouse. Tony would have found it amusing had he not been so close to panic himself. It had taken hours for them to tell the whole story, and they ended up repeating it four more times before they were allowed to leave. Needless to say, neither of them were in a good mood.

Clint Barton's head popped up over the back of the sofa as they stepped out of the elevator onto the common floor. He and Bruce had stayed behind at the Tower due to their past experiences with Loki. SHIELD wasn't sure how Clint would handle seeing him again, and letting the Hulk loose in a crowded city was a terrible idea, even without factoring in Loki's presence.

"Hey guys! How'd it go? And where's Thor and Cap?"

"Thor went to Asgard. As for Capsicle… we don't know," Tony admitted, plopping down heavily in the nearest armchair. "Man, I need a drink."

"What! What happened?" Clint asked.

"Steve's missing?" Bruce's voice floated into the room from the kitchen. The man himself appeared in the doorway a minute later, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at Tony.

It was Natasha who answered. "It was Loki. He hit him with some kind of light beam…"

"Right before he made his big, diva style exit. What does he think this is, Broadway?" Tony interrupted, which earned him a glare from Natasha.

"...Before causing a distraction," She continued. "Loki escaped, and Steve disappeared. We don't know exactly what happened. Thor went to Asgard to see if he could find any information on what the attack could have done to him."

After a moment of silence, Clint slapped his hands on his thighs and stood up. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find Cap."

* * *

Steve had fallen asleep by the time they reached the hotel. Bucky decided against walking through the lobby; the desk clerk would surely be suspicious if he came in with a kid on his hip, considering he left earlier that day by himself. No, it would be best to avoid a confrontation right now. He could make up a cover story later, after he put Steve to bed.

As quietly as possible- which was pretty quiet, he was an assassin after all- he mounted the steps of the fire escape, stopping on the landing outside of his room. A quick glance down showed that Steve was still asleep with his head laying on Bucky's shoulder. One hand was curled around a strand of Bucky's hair. A small smile crossed his face before he set back to work. He set the pile of clothes down on the window sill before jimmying his window open with his free hand. He tossed the clothes bundle in first, then climbed in himself, being careful not to jostle Steve too much. When he was sure that he hadn't woke him, he walked over to his sofa and gently laid Steve down, pulling a blue throw blanket over him.

'Now to childproof this place' Bucky mumbled to himself. It took him a good half hour to gather all the weapons he had hidden and stash them in places that Steve couldn't get to. There was also the problem of sleeping arrangements. His room only had one bed. Steve could sleep on the couch, but there was the possibility of him falling off during the night. 'Better to be a little uncomfortable than let him get hurt,' Bucky decided. He would take the couch and give Steve his bed. At least the couch would put him in a better position to protect them if a threat arose, as it was closer to the main entry points.

With that decided, Bucky walked back into the living room and crouched down by the couch. He reached out with his flesh hand and shook Steve's shoulder gently. Steve began to squirm, and blue eyes greeted him a heartbeat later.

"Hey Bud. Time for bed."

Steve looked around the apartment with sleep-glazed eyes. "Where are we?" he slurred.

"We're at my place. Now c'mon, we gotta get you into a real bed."

"But I'm not tired!" Steve whined, already a little more alert. Bucky dutifully ignored him and threw him over his shoulder, making his way into the bedroom.

"Too bad, punk." He set Steve down on the floor, not removing his hands until he was sure that he wouldn't fall over. He grabbed the clothes he had gotten earlier and knelt down.

"Let's get you into something a little more comfortable, how about it? No offense kid, but that dress is not a good look for you."

" 's not a dress," Steve grumbled as he tried to pull off the shirt. With Bucky's help he managed to get it over his head. Bucky them maneuvered him into the pants and shirt. Steve tried to help, but he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. Bucky bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling like a sap at the adorable sight.

"Okay, now up you go," he said, patting the bed. Steve reluctantly walked over and Bucky lifted him onto it, placing him in the middle of the mattress. He grabbed a few extra pillows and blankets to make a barrier so Steve couldn't roll off. By the time he finished, his tiny friend had already drifted off to sleep. Smiling to himself, Bucky grabbed the covers and tucked him in. He checked over his handiwork one last time before switching on the bedside lamp and walking to the door.

"Goodnight kiddo," he called softly, turning off the light.

"Night night."


	5. Oh Hey, Thor's Back

The next morning found the team gathered in the living room. Clint and Tony were playing Mario Kart while Natasha and Bruce watched on in amusement.

“Clint, did you just blue shell me?! You are dead to me! Dead to me!” 

“Shut up Stark and take it like a man. Hey!!!!”

“Ha ha! Back in the lead! Take that, Tweety Bird.” 

_ BOOM!  _ A loud crack of thunder sounded close by. Bruce started, while Clint and Natasha continued on doing what they were doing, seemingly not bothered by it.

“Oh great, Thor’s here,” Clint said, not looking away from the game. 

‘Stupid assassin training,’ Tony mumbled. He had dropped his controller with a very unmanly squeal (which he would forever deny), allowing Clint’s character to pass by him. 

“Hey! No fair!” 

“All’s fair in love and Mario Kart, Tin Can.” 

The glass doors to the balcony opened with a flourish. Thor walked in, placing Mjolner on the coffee table. 

“My friends, I come with news,” Thor began solemnly.

Everyone tensed, preparing for the worst.

“Please tell me it’s good news,” Tony muttered, still put out from his loss.

“What’d you find, Thor?” Natasha asked, keeping her face carefully neutral.

“Relax friends. The attack on the Captain was not fatal. He is alright, just not… himself.” 

A collective sigh of relief filled the room. No one had wanted to voice it, but they could not deny the possibility that Steve could be gone, for good. 

“Wait a minute. What do you mean, ‘not himself’?” Bruce asked. The others turned to Thor with puzzled looks on their faces.

Thor sighed and took a seat on the couch. “I am afraid this may be hard to explain. Loki holds a unique ability to perform feats of magic, as you have no doubt seen in our battles. Not many in Asgard can do such. My mother is one of those very few. She told me that the attack I described was not meant to be a killing blow. It was instead meant as a joke, a prank, as you Midgardians might call it. If Mother was correct, and I do believe she is, that spell is meant to de-age the victim.” 

“Sooo, let me see if I’ve got this right,” Tony piped up. “Steve’s okay, but he’s been turned into a kid? How is that even a thing?”

“That is correct, Stark. Loki seems to have a passion for unusual spells, such as this one. I do not know why.”

“Well I for one don’t like him practicing his creepy spells on us. Why can’t he go bother someone else for a change? There’s bound to be another group of superheroes somewhere in the world he can go annoy. Ouch!” Clint yelped as Natasha punched him on the shoulder. “That hurt, Nat,” he whined. 

Ignoring him, Natasha turned back to Thor. “Is there any way to reverse it?” 

Thor ran a hand through his hair. “If there is, Loki would have to be the one to do it. Mother did not mention any antidotes.” 

“So now we’ve got to find Cap  _ and _ Loki. Great.” Stark deadpanned. 

Thor stood back up and grabbed Mjolner. “Don’t worry, friends. I’ll take care of Loki. Heimdall will surely lend a hand in helping me locate him. Loki may be…”

“Creepy, insane, downright crazy?” Tony interrupted. Natasha reached over and cuffed him on the head. “Oww!”

“... strange, but he is rather predictable. I hope to return soon.” He walked out on the balcony, and with another flash of light, he was gone.

*****

“So, what do we do now?” Clint asked. They had all migrated down to Tony’s lab to decide their plan of action. 

“Well,” Tony answered, “we can check the security camera footage near the place where Cap disappeared. Maybe one of them will have picked up something, like a kid running away. That would be great. Easy peasy.” 

“How are we going to figure out if it’s Steve or not though?” Bruce questioned. “He was a lot smaller before he got the serum. We don’t know what he looked like as a child.” 

“Hmm, you’ve got a point. JARVIS, does Cap have any pictures of him as a kid setting out in his room?” 

“He has one, Sir. But wouldn’t that be going against his privacy?” The AI responded. 

“I think this qualifies as an extreme circumstance, J.” Tony sighed, settling into a rolling chair heavily. 

“Alright, Sir. I believe this photo is dated around 1925.” A holographic screen appeared in front of Tony. The others shifted around to see it. It was an old photo of two young boys. One had thick, wavy brown hair and a gap-toothed grin. He was smiling brightly at the camera with his arm around a younger boy’s shoulders. The other boy was an inch or two shorter and quite a bit skinnier, with blond hair and bright blue eyes. He too was smiling happily at the camera. 

“If my information is correct,” JARVIS informed, “the Captain is 7 years of age, while Sergeant Barnes is 8.” 

Tony stared at the photo for a long moment before exclaiming, “Man, he was  _ tiny _ !”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Just remember, Steve may not have been de-aged to this exact time, so we’ll have to use this as a reference.”

“Okay, right. JARVIS, pull up all of the security camera feeds near the battle scene yesterday. Start from right before Steve got hit.” 

“I’m sorry Sir, but all of the cameras are registering a blank at the moment that Captain Rogers was struck. There’s nothing at all until a half hour after the battle was over.”

More holographic screens appeared in front of the team. Each showed a different angle of the area where the battle had taken place and the surrounding area. And, like JARVIS said, each was a blank screen.

“Okay, well that makes things interesting. Everyone, grab a handful and start looking. Yell if you find anything,” Tony commanded, dragging a few holograms towards himself. The others followed suit, moving to rest on work benches, lab tables, or rolling chairs. As JARVIS said, there was no image until about half an hour after Steve had went down and the battle ended. There was complete silence in the room as everyone started reviewing their footage. 

The better part of an hour passed before Tony spoke up. “Anyone found anything?”

Bruce shook his head, “Not a thing.”

The others had just turned back to their footage before Clint called out, “Wait a minute. I may have something.”

There was a flurry of movement as everyone crowded around Clint. “Look, something’s coming out of this alley.” Sure enough, a shadowy form was moving towards the mouth of the alley one of the cameras was trained on. A heartbeat later, a tall figure emerged more fully into the light. 

“They’re holding something,” Natasha pointed out. Sure enough, as the person turned to go down the sidewalk, the team could make out something in their arms. 

“Not something, someone,” Bruce corrected softly. For a minute, the subjects looked vaguely towards the camera, giving the team a good view of their faces. Clint reached out and paused the video. The tall figure was male, and his face was obscured by long brown hair and a plain black ball cap. He wore a heavy jacket and gloves. He was holding a small child, probably around two or three years old, with limp blond hair hanging over his face. 

“Unless I miss my guess, that little guy is one Steve Rogers,” Clint said, leaning back in his seat with a smile. 

Natasha leaned in to get a closer look at the screen. She frowned; something about that guy looked awfully familiar...

“Is that Barnes?”


	6. Just a Lazy Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update. My Bucky muse went on a mission or something...
> 
> Italics: flashbacks

Tiny footsteps jolted Bucky awake the next morning. He shot up, reaching for a knife that wasn’t there. Who was in his apartment? And why was he on the couch? What was… Oh right. Steve. Tiny, kid Steve. Who  _ was _ asleep in his bedroom. Right. He relaxed back into the couch cushions, looking up at the clock. 6:30 AM. ‘Of course, even as a kid he’s an early riser. I should have seen that coming,’ Bucky groaned.

Moments later, Steve entered the room. His clothes were rumpled and his hair stuck up in all directions. It was frankly adorable. Steve stumbled over, not fully awake yet, and plopped down beside him on the couch.

“Mornin’ kiddo,” Bucky greeted, reaching out to ruffle Steve’s hair. “Sleep well?” 

“G’morning,” Steve answered, trying unsuccessfully to swat his hand away. 

“Hungry?” 

At Steve’s nod, he scooped him up and headed to the kitchen. Bucky set him down at the table and went to search his cabinets. “Let’s see... Oatmeal, cereal, or pancakes?”

“Pancakes, please!” came the enthusiastic answer. 

“Okay then,” Bucky said as he began pulling out the ingredients.

In no time at all, they were munching on pancakes together. An awkward silence filled the room at first, but with some prompting, Bucky managed to get Steve to talk. Most of his stories were about his home: his mom, the neighbors pets, his favorite places, and so on. Some things Bucky remembered, others he didn’t. It was nice to have something to jog his memory, even if Steve didn’t know he was doing it. 

Afterwards, they migrated to the living room. Bucky flipped the tv on, searching through the channels until he found a kids channel playing Snow White. He laughed softly to himself. That was one of the memories that had come back: him and Steve sneaking into the theater to watch it the day it came out. They ended up getting kicked out over three quarters of the way through the movie, but it was fun while it lasted.  

Little Steve was enraptured with it. Whether it was the movie or the tv Bucky couldn’t tell, but the kid took in everything with wide eyes. 

“She’s pretty,” Steve commented, staring at the princess onscreen. 

“Yeah pal, she sure is,” Bucky agreed. 

When the evil queen appeared, creating the poisonous apple, Steve began to squirm. Without really thinking, Bucky opened an arm to him. Steve didn’t hesitate before tucking himself against his side. Bucky curled his arm back around him and tugged him closer. “It’s ok, Bud.” 

Steve just turned to press his face into Bucky’s side. “...scary,” he mumbled, Bucky’s advanced hearing just barely able to catch it. He had to bite down a laugh; the kid was just too cute. 

He waited a few beats. “Ok, it’s over,” he said, jostling him lightly. Steve peeked at the tv, and once satisfied that the scary part was indeed over, he twisted around to be able to see better. However, he didn’t move away from his spot at Bucky’s side.

Steve began to get restless after the movie ended. On a whim, Bucky grabbed a sheet of blank paper and a pencil and gave it to him. If he remembered right, older Steve loved to sketch. Maybe this would work. 

Sure enough, Steve gave him a blinding grin when he handed the stuff over. He wasted no time in placing it on the coffee table and starting to doodle. 

Once he was sure Steve was engrossed in his drawing, Bucky moved into his bedroom to start his daily exercises: an impressive number of sit-ups and push-ups. He had just finished his last push-up when he heard Steve enter the room. 

“Done already?” he asked, sitting up. 

Steve walked up to him, looking down at his feet. “It’s for you,” he replied timidly.

Bucky took the paper handed to him. It was about what you’d expect from a three-year old, crude but undeniably adorable. There were three people-shaped stick figures: one definitely female, probably his mother, and one shorter than the others, Steve himself. The last stick figure had longish hair and one arm looked a little different than the other, that was him. Each one was smiling brightly. Bucky felt his own lips turn up in a smile. 

“That’s me, and that’s Ma, and that’s you,” Steve pointed to each person in turn. 

“I see. This is great Stevie! Thank you. Look at ya, already an artist.”

Steve smiled happily at the praise, and threw his arms around Bucky’s neck in a hug. “That’s what Ma says too.” Bucky was surprised at first, but he quickly recovered and returned the hug. 

“Yeah? She must be a smart lady.” He gave the kid a gentle squeeze before pulling back to stand up. “Now c’mon, let’s go do something about lunch.”

*****

By the time evening rolled around, Bucky had three more pictures to hang up. He was going to have to buy more paper soon. The little guy went through it like wildfire. 

Speaking of Steve, he and Bucky were currently lying on the living room floor after an intense game of tag (for Steve at least). Steve had taken a nap after lunch, and when he awoke an hour later, he was ready for action. His puppy-dog eyes had already conned Bucky into playing four games of hide-and-seek (Steve was a terrible hider) and six rounds of tic-tac-toe. 

He had also insisted on playing tag, no matter how hard Bucky tried to talk him out of it. And sure enough, they had to call it quits when Steve’s asthma threatened to start up. Thankfully, it didn’t escalate further than just wheezing. Bucky was very unprepared for a full-blown asthma attack, since it’d been quite a while since he’d had to deal with one. Over half a century, actually. 

After that, it didn’t take much to convince Steve to take it easy, which was how they both ended up on the floor, staring at the ceiling with their hands under their heads. 

“Bucky,” Steve began, turning his head to look at him. 

“Yeah?”

“You never told me nothing ‘bout you.” 

“Anything. It’s ‘never told me anything’, short stuff,” Bucky stalled, not liking where this conversation was going. Simple questions he could answer, but anything more than that was definitely not something that he could explain to a child. 

“Where are you from?” Ah, that he could answer. 

“Here in Brooklyn.” 

“Like me!” Steve commented excitedly. What would he have done if he told him he was from New Jersey, Bucky wondered. The thought brought a smirk to his lips. That would be something to see. 

“How old are you?” was his next question. 

If only it was that simple. “28” Bucky replied*. It wasn’t a lie after all, he just omitted the many decades of absolute nothing. How could you explain to a kid that you were technically 99 but looked 28? He was going to avoid that at all costs.

“What’s your favorite color?” 

Bucky thought for a moment. “Red.”

“Okay, umm…” Steve hesitated a moment, which was not a good sign. “How’d you get your metal arm?” 

And that was exactly what Bucky had been dreading. He was silent for a long moment, so long that Steve started to fidget nervously. “I’m sorry,” he said. 

Bucky sighed. “I… fell off a train.” 

Steve’s eyes widened, and he looked seconds away from crying. Seeing that, Bucky was quick to roll onto his side and assert, “I’m okay now, kiddo. I promise.” ‘Well, getting there,’ he thought.

No tears were forthcoming, but Steve did crawl over to give him a hug, one that Bucky gladly returned. 

*****

It surprised Bucky just how comfortable Steve was around him. Seriously, the kid didn’t know him from Adam- he and Steve didn’t meet until Steve was five years old- yet he acted like they were old friends. Sure he was a bit wary in the alley the other day, Bucky couldn’t blame him, but other than that the little guy took right up with him. Steve thought nothing of cuddling up to him, giving him a hug, or even throwing a friendly punch. If only he knew… Not to mention, the metal arm didn’t even phase him. He treated it just like a regular, flesh-and-blood arm. Yeap, Steve was still as reckless as he remembered. Some things never change.

After a dinner of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches- Bucky really needed to get some more food, he was running low- he had managed to get Steve to take a bath. It was a battle of wills; the stubborn kid wasn’t going easy. 

“But I don’t wanna!” Steve stomped his foot, emphasizing his point. Bucky just shook his head and sighed. “You need to. You smell.” 

“No I don’t.” But the protest fell on deaf ears. Bucky simply bent down and hauled him over his shoulder. Little fists beat his back the whole way to the bathroom, but judging from the way Steve was giggling, he wasn’t mad at him. 

Bucky got the bath ready and stepped back out, Steve insisting that he could ‘do it himself’. Not that Bucky believed that. He would at least have to mop the water off of the floor; kids didn’t have a good track record with baths, that he knew. That’s why the bathroom door was left open, so he could hear if anything was amiss.

That was another thing. How did he know so much about kids? The Winter Soldier hadn’t had too many interactions with them, definitely nothing meaningful, so how did he know how to act around them? He wracked his brain, trying find out. 

_ Thick, brown curls bouncing in the air. Short legs kicking, faded pink dress swishing. “Higher, Bucky! Push me higher!”  _

Well that explained it. He had a younger sister. What was her name? It was on the tip of his tongue. Beth? No, that wasn’t right. Becky? Wait, Becca. That was it. Bucky and Becca Barnes. 

A look at the clock brought him out of his thoughts. It was probably time to check on Steve, he’d been in there for about twenty minutes. 

Sure enough, the little guy was almost asleep in the tub. Bucky smiled and shook his head as he kneeled down to let the water out. He lifted Steve out, got him dried off, and slipped him into his clothes. All the while Steve stayed quiet, yawning widely. ‘He must have really tired himself out,’ Bucky mused, hefting Steve into his arms.

He made his way into the bedroom, setting Steve down on the bed before arranging the blankets and pillows so he couldn’t fall off the side. Steve gave him a sleepy smile as he tucked him in, pulling the covers up to his chin. 

Smiling, he reached out and ruffled the blond strands. “Goodnight kiddo,” Bucky said, reaching to turn on the lamp on the bedside table. He made his way towards the doorway, pausing to turn off the light. 

“Goodnight Bucky,” Steve called softly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I just took a guess at Bucky's age. 
> 
> More action will be coming in the next chapter, I promise. 
> 
> Oh, and thank you to everyone who left kudos and comments! You guys make my day :)


	7. Spies and Teddy Bears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to keep you guys waiting, it’s just been a busy few weeks.
> 
> It took me forever to figure out how this chapter was going to go. Like seriously, I had to go back and rewrite it once. I’m happy with how it turned out though. More cuteness and a little bit of plot :) Yay!

_ It was snowing. Brilliant, white flakes landed on the scope of the sniper rifle in his hands. The roof of the building he was laying on was quickly becoming covered. The cold didn’t bother him though. Nothing did anymore.  _

_ In the next building over, the congressman walked into his line of sight. The man strode over and opened the window, reaching a hand out to catch a few of the flakes, completely unaware of the danger. It would soon be his demise; the mission required it.  _

_ Lining up the shot, the Winter Soldier took a deep breath, his finger tightening on the trigger and… _

Bucky shot awake with a gasp, panting heavily. Both hands went to his hair, tugging slightly at the strands as if to assure himself that this was real. It was just a dream; a memory, to be exact. He was in his hotel room, not back with _ them _ . 

After a few minutes his breathing became less erratic. He stood from the couch with a sigh, unwinding his throw blanket from around his feet. He wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep tonight, that he was sure of. 

He did a quick perimeter check before ducking into his bedroom to check on Steve. The little guy was curled up under the blankets with just his head peeking out, sound asleep. Seeing that, Bucky relaxed for the first time since waking up. He was struck by an idea, stepping softly out of the room. A few minutes later, he came back with an armful of blankets. He dropped them on the floor by the bed, spreading them out to make himself a nest of sorts. Satisfied, he laid down, content to close his eyes and listen to Steve’s easy breathing. 

Surprisingly, he must have managed to doze off, because the next thing he knew, a tiny hand was shaking him awake. “Bucky?”

“Yeah kiddo?” he answered groggily. 

“Why are you on the floor?” Steve asked, head cocked to the side as though confused. 

“Why are you awake?” Bucky countered, reaching out to tickle Steve’s side. He didn’t know what time it was, but it sure felt early. 

Steve laughed, trying to twist away. “Ma always wakes me up early. She has to go to work and I get to go stay with the neighbors. Did I tell you about their cat?”

“You sure did, Squirt,” Bucky said, getting up with a groan and moving into the kitchen. Steve followed along behind him, smiling brightly when Bucky picked him up and set him on the counter. 

“Is cereal ok?” Bucky asked. He waited until Steve nodded a ‘yes’ before continuing. “I’ve got to pick up some more food today. We’ll probably head to the store after breakfast. Sound like a plan?” 

“Ok,” Steve agreed. Bucky quickly got everything ready, pulling out a box of cheerios and the rest of a carton of milk. He fixed a bowl for each of them, Steve’s a lot smaller than his, and brought them both to the table before setting Steve down from the counter. The two of them ate breakfast in comfortable silence. 

When they finished, Bucky sent Steve off to get ready while he washed the dishes and got ready himself. After taking a shower and changing clothes, he stepped out of the bedroom to find Steve on the couch, struggling to put his shoes on. With a quiet laugh, he knelt down to help. 

“You’re putting it on the wrong foot,” Bucky said, taking the shoe and slipping it on the correct foot. He did the same with the other shoe, then laced them up tight. “There you go. That should be better.”

“Thank you,” Steve smiled, swinging his feet happily. 

“Are you ready to go?” Bucky asked, standing up.

“Yeap!” Steve exclaimed, jumping off the couch and heading towards the door. 

Bucky frowned; Steve had forgotten one little detail. “Woah, hang on there kiddo,” he called, motioning for Steve to follow him. Slightly confused, Steve followed him into the bathroom, where Bucky grabbed a comb and quickly fixed the child’s hair into some semblance of order. He laughed at the scandalized expression on Steve’s face. “Ya can’t go around looking like a porcupine now, can ya? Now c’mon, let’s go.” 

Together they headed out of the building. If he remembered right, there was a supermarket a couple of blocks over. As soon as they stepped out on the street, a little hand found his metal one and held on. Not that he could blame the little guy, he wasn’t much for crowded places either. Thankfully they had left at a time where there wasn’t much foot traffic. It only took them a few minutes to reach the store.

Steve’s eyes widened as they approached. “The future is _ fancy _ ,” he commented, staring at the automatic sliding doors with awe. 

Bucky bit back a laugh; he knew what he meant, they had surprised him too when he first saw them. “It sure is, pal.” 

Once inside, Bucky grabbed a cart and set Steve in the child seat. He expected a protest at least, but Steve stayed quiet, still looking around with wide eyes. Well, he wasn’t going to complain; arguing with Steve never went well, no matter how old he was. Bucky pushed them towards the grocery aisle, and off they went.

An hour later found them in the checkout line. Bucky had managed to pick up everything he needed and then some. On top of food, he had grabbed some clothes for Steve- who knew how long he was going to be like this- and a few toys for the kid to play with. Steve had picked out a teddy bear too: a Black Widow teddy bear to be exact, complete with catsuit and red hair that Bucky hadn’t been able to keep him from seeing. Bucky also grabbed a sketchbook and a pack of crayons, figuring Steve would like them. 

The cashier quickly rang up their items and told them their total. Bucky felt a moment of satisfaction as he handed the cash over- stolen Hydra funds were good for something at least. The cashier took the money and smiled at Steve, handing him the teddy bear back. The child smiled brightly as he took it. “What do you say, Stevie?” Bucky prompted.

“Thank you,” Steve said, giving the lady another blinding smile before burying his face in the plush fur. 

“He’s so cute,” She remarked to Bucky, counting out the change quickly. 

“Yeah, he’s a real heartbreaker,” Bucky replied with a smirk. 

In no time at all they were ready to go. He lifted Steve out of the buggy, setting him on the ground and grabbing the grocery bags. Thankfully there weren’t that many. Shifting them into his left hand, he held his right out to Steve who took it without hesitation. They stepped out of the supermarket and headed back towards the hotel. 

*****

“You guys, I’ve got something,” Clint called. He was monitoring surveillance camera footage near the area where they had seen Barnes with Steve. They hadn’t been able to catch him on camera again that day, but Clint was willing to bet that he would show up eventually. He got Tony to hack into the video feeds from random buildings in the area in hopes of finding them.

“What’ve you got, Tweetie?” Tony asked, sauntering across the room. He peered over Clint’s shoulder at the paused video footage.  

“Who does that look like?” the archer asked smugly, pointing at the holographic screen. The image showed the outside of a supermarket. A few people were walking out of the door, joining the crowd on the sidewalk. Clint was pointing to two figures that had just exited: a tall man wearing a dark jacket, black gloves, and a black ball cap carrying grocery bags and holding the hand of a tiny blond-haired child.

“That’s them alright,” Natasha chimed in over Tony’s shoulder. Tony jumped at the unexpected voice. “Don’t do that!” 

Clint snickered, earning him a glare from Tony. 

“At least we know they’re still in Brooklyn,” Natasha said. “That’ll make them much easier to track down.”

“Wanna split up and see if we can find them?” Clint proposed. “If they’re going grocery shopping, it’s a good guess that Barnes has stable living quarters nearby. That should make him and Steve pretty easy to find.” 

“And what would you do if you found him?” Tony argued. “This is the Winter Soldier we’re talking about here. You know, deadly assassin spy, even scarier than Natasha?” That earned him a death glare from said red-haired spy. “You’re seriously wanting to go one-on-one with him?”

“If one of us finds him we call for backup. No one-on-one anything,” Clint assured. 

Bruce, who had just walked into the room, piped up, “Maybe I should sit this one out. Hulk doesn’t do good with stealth missions.” They all heard the real meaning behind his words: he didn’t want to risk a Hulk-out in the middle of such a crowded area.

“Whatever you say, Doc.” Clint replied. “So, sound like a plan?” he asked the others, turning to look each of them in the eye.

Natasha nodded curtly, already walking off to gather her weapons. Tony sighed dramatically, “Fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note, it may be a little while between updates. Don't worry, I have more planned for this story. I'll try my best to update again soon :)

**Author's Note:**

> I've seen a few people do stories like this, and I wanted to throw my own spin on it. Isn't tiny Steve adorable! I couldn't resist.


End file.
